Goodbye, Hello

I've decided to close this blog.  Every so often, there comes the urge to start a fresh blog with no mistakes in it (yet).  This seems like the right time. 

This blog will stay up for the time being (mainly to help jog my faulty memory), but I don't expect to put up any new entries here. 

Instead, you can follow our gardening exploits ;o) and (I'm sure) the occasional tidbits of Real Life on the new blog (which at the moment looks an awful lot like this one): 
A Garden of Coastal Alabama (coastalalabamagarden.blogspot.com/)

And of course I'm still blogging along on a fairly regular basis at a couple of other blogs. 

For crafty this and thats (crochet, knitting, quilting, etc.):
Sew I See!

And for book reviews/reactions (hey, there's a chance someone might care!):
I've Read That


I think that's about it...
Goodbye, old blog; hello, new one!  :o)

P.S.  I've transferred over a few of the most recent blog posts, so it looks like an actual blog, but there's nothing new over there yet.  Maybe by the end of the day...

Project 365 Update

You may have noticed that I've changed the way I'm updating this blog.  Honestly, I've been considering just closing down the whole thing and asking anyone interested to follow along on Flickr (or Ravelry, or one of the two blogs I still actually update), since I never write anything here, any more, but... I guess I'll leave it alone for now. 

I'm still trying to take photos for Project 365, though I've missed another day here and there and just taken "make-up photos" to fill in the gaps.  Now that I'm a month behind posting the photos, though, I'm going to take an easy route to catching up. To save time and trouble, I'll just share the photos through Flickr's built-in sharing function.  The result isn't as pretty as if I took the trouble to post them as I had been doing, but it sure is a lot easier.  If you want to see the photos larger, I recommend just heading over to Flickr to do so.  (These latest photos should have links, and there's always the link in the sidebar, of course.) 

...That's all.  Back to our regularly scheduled never-posting-anything-but-photos. 

11/365 - Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs

Today I discovered two "book review" posts I'd written (but neglected to publish) for my crochet/knitting/sewing blog.  I snapped a few photos to illustrate my points.  Started in 2011, finished in 2013.  What a pace!

And With That...

And with that, I solemnly vow to avoid politics (here) for a while.  I'll still be following them, I'm sure, but I'm going to shift the focus of this blog.  Four years is a long time, and I can't take much more of this nonsense without the rest of my hair turning grey.  ;o) 

Less grumbling about idiots and charlatans (I hope). 

More photos. 
More "this is what we've been doing lately" posts.
More of just life. 


:o)

To Blog or Not to Blog...

Lately, I've pondered whether I should just close down this blog altogether.  I've simply had no interest in posting anything here-- or when I do, it's fleeting, and it seems like too much effort to be worth it.  I'd rather crochet or read for fifteen minutes than blog.

I guess I'll leave the blog up for the time being.  It's (probably) not doing any serious harm, just sitting here like this...

 - - - - - - -

In the meantime, Romney was in Mobile this morning, and apparently (according to Twitter, because I was out poisoning ant beds ahead of the rain... and wouldn't have thought to turn on the TV for it even if I hadn't been) it was pouring rain when he spoke.  Excellent timing, guys.  "Come to Mobile-- part of 'The South', where people say 'y'all' a lot, everyone eats grits three times a day, and there's a permanent torrential downpour.  Yay, Alabama!"

But hey, if MSNBC is anything to go by (which I fervently hope it is not, for many, many reasons), there may not be many people who can even find Alabama on a map, so why worry?

- - - - - - -

I finally blog again, and this is what it's about... I'm truly in top form.  No wonder I've stopped blogging. (g)

2012 Blues

Well, given that this is an election year, of course this will be a bad year for randomly, unexpectedly encountering annoying political opinions on blogs (and other places where people express opinions) that are not usually political in nature. 

I know, I know.  How can I complain when I regularly, well, complain about politics on my own blog?  But I do try to keep that contained here on my personal, rarely-updated blog that hardly anyone reads, anyway.  Also, I do it often enough that you really ought to be prepared. ;o) 

There are a few blogs/feeds I read that I know will (at least occasionally) be political in nature-- some more often than others-- and even though I do still find myself annoyed at the opinions expressed, at least I'm prepared for them. (And if I'm having a "don't even look at me wrong" type of day, I know to avoid them until I'm feeling more sanguine.  Or maybe it's the other way 'round.  Don't ruin a good mood...?)  It's more offensive when the blog/feed is usually crafts-centered, for instance, or books-focused, and then suddenly springs a (seriously irritating) political opinion on you out of nowhere.  

Ugh, 2012. 
I haven't really been looking forward to you, to tell the truth, but since the alternative was not being here to see it, we'll just have to make the most of it. 

Analytics Again

It's been a long, long, long time since my last Google Analytics post.  (The last one was toward the end of January 2010, to the best of Blogger's blog-search function's knowledge.) 

This may not interest anyone but me, but it's my blog, so...

As usual, I'm only looking at keyword searches (that led to this blog) in the months since my last Analytics post. 

At the top of the list, generating a whopping 29.43% of visits (from people who find me via a search engine), is "absolutly pure milk".  Ha!  As I've probably mentioned before, we have a couple of pressed glass tumblers that Donald brought from Sweden with that text raised upon them.  I wonder how many of the people searching for that phrase realized that "absolutly" is a misspelling...

"Crusti croc" (a brand of chips) comes in second place-- 4.13% of my blog traffic is coming here in search of information about snack food.  (Fascinating, isn't it?)  ...Oh, and I see that there are variations on this theme peppered throughout the list, so even more people are looking for information on Crusti Croc.

Rag quilting, vintage fashion, and black rat snake eggs continue to make up a large number of the search engine hits.  (If I add up all the various quilting-related hits, it would easily top "absolutly pure milk".)

Random Searches That Caught My Eye:

• marabou chocolate / marabou amigo 
• 80's cartoon moonbeamers / meet the moonbeamers fabric
• more dead birds / dead birds 2012 / any more dead birds?
• cockapekapoo
• anole eggs / do lizards lay eggs
• outdoor oddities / oddities of the ocean
• ken doll
• atm job killer
• playskool wonderfalls
• "become a social worker in 1 yr"
• "new puppy smell" / new puppy smell description / puppy smell worms 
• when does puppy smell end / why do puppies have a smell?
• caterpillars that sting
• chewy whoppers
• arguments against penny tax in baldwin county al
• dollar tree laser pointer
• g your hair smells terrific / recipe for gee your hair smells terrific
• green card interviews
• how to pronounce chickasabogue
• modesty personified
• the loony left 60 minutes
• "but why do we have to pay for the land? the land's free..."
• "fav or fave"
• "hop-and-go-fetch-its"
• "killing weeds with electricity"
• "odds and ends" it took laundary to cleanthe area
• "opinions depress"
• "turbo boil"
• "unrelated string of words"
• "why is st. john pronounced"  ("Why"? (g))
• affordable ingredients in making a catsup using tomato
• autumn oddities
• buy gele hallon / gelehallon equivalence
• can we make everybody happy? why
• can you think of at least one example from a recent movie in which a linguistic code was used to convey information about a character? what was it?
• do snakes have lips
• dog shaped rag quilts
• dying wasp+gif animated
• endorsed by aliens as a safe place to survive the demise of civilization
• explain "this that the other"
• fabric for curtains in vampire diaries kitchen
• got megapickles? t shirt
• happy fourth thursday
• how many children have choked on kinder surprise
• how to say none of my business norwegian
• insert wolf whistle here
• itchy hands vibration mowing lawn
• lashed terribly
• let's find odds and ends
• milk duds sverige
• mrs howell eating beets video
• muffin vintage
• mutant mosquitos
• once upon a wintertime
• photos of christmas betls (Huh?)
• pizzapolice blog spot
• psychotic moments
• radio ad young boozer
• sam's club ultra sonic bark stopper
• sniblet
• swedish vacuum candy
• the danger of shopping online
• ugliest irish
• urban yodeling
• what singer looks and sounds a lot like rod stewart?
• what was catsup in 1820
• wild man of chickasabogue (Again. Still never heard of him...)
• zenni opitcal felons

And that's all she wrote.  (As they say.)

Random Thoughts

(When all else fails...)

- - - - - - -

I tried out my new Swiffer WetJet this afternoon.  I hope that it will encourage me to clean the hard surface floors (mainly the kitchen and breakfast room) more often than I tend to do with the mop or scrub brush.  I have sneaky intentions of either crocheting or sewing some reusable pads for it-- anything to avoid having to buy the disposable pads.  Also, I've found a tutorial that allows you to refill one of the bottles of cleaning fluid yourself rather than buying a new one every time.  (A penny saved, etc., etc.) 

Maybe it's just me, but the WetJet liquid smells like an odd mixture of fruit (sour apple?) and beer.  And yet it's not unpleasant.

- - - - - - -

Further proof that I am an über-introvert / hermit:  I got a lot (by my standards) of comments on my crochet/sewing blog a while ago, back when someone must've noticed and spread the word about my Circle of Friends-based afghan.  It's flattering and all, but I haven't even read the comments there or at Ravelry, and now I'm avoiding that blog so I won't have to deal with it all.  Surely I'm not the only person who has this love/hate relationship with comments.  (Right?  Or, ok, maybe I am.)  This is part of the reason I decided that Facebook wasn't my cup of tea.  Practically the whole thing seems to be centered around comments. (I may start going there to lurk, though.   ...Maybe.)

- - - - - - -

There is a reason that crocheters don't typically make blankets using a mixture of motif shapes.  This afghan I am currently piecing together has octagons, squares, and triangles, and it is taking for-ev-er.  I long for simple columns and rows of squares!  (But I'm not "allowed" to start another project for myself until I get this thing pieced together.  ...And when I do, I think I'm back in the mood for thread crochet.)

- - - - - - -

What's this about an NFL lockout (whatever that is)?  Fortunately, I couldn't care less about football (especially NFL football) if I tried, so I don't have to bother about this (incredibly boring) subject. 

- - - - - - -

My take on the situation with the Wisconsin senate democrats hiding out-of-state to avoid doing their jobs is predictable:  It's simply infuriating. If they refuse to fulfill the obligations of their positions of political power, they need to step down (or be removed from office).

- - - - - - -

How does spring manage to sneak up on me every year?  

Ugh.  There's so much I need to do before the summer heat sets in.

25 Days of Christmas (Photo Challenge)

I wrote about this yesterday on my photo blog, but in case there's someone who doesn't check that and yet is still interested in my silly little photo challenges/projects (unlikely), I thought I'd mention it here, too.  (Also, because when I post about something political, I tend to want to put something else so the political entry's not at the top of the page.  I know, I'm weird...)

- - - - -

Hey, I managed to complete the Month of Gratitude Challenge!  (Er, well, after a fashion.  I didn't post a photo a day, but I took at least one every day, and eventually got them all posted before the end of November.)

Now I'm thinking of setting a personal challenge for myself for (most of) December.  I've seen similar group challenges on Flickr, but at this point, I'm going solo--  that is, not posting it to any group pool.

25 Days of Christmas
--The challenge, should I choose to accept it ;o), is to take (at least) one seasonally-themed, Christmasy, wintery photo a day (and post it to my photo blog, as well as my Flickr photostream), from December 1st to December 25th. 

And... that's pretty much it.  I'll try to post a photo every day, but, well, you've seen how that goes... So long as I'm at least taking a photo a day, I'll be satisfied. 

Anyone who cares to follow suit-- or link to one of your favorite holiday-themed photos-- is welcome to do so!
 

Been a While

Yes, it's been a while.  I won't try to summarize anything & everything that's happened since those distant days when I posted with semi-regularity.  Let's just jump right back in and see how it goes.  Maybe my days of frequent blogging (at this spot, at least) are over.  No way to tell, really. . .

- - - - - -

A few weeks ago, a bunch of us (Granny L., Mom, Aunt Cathy, Aunt Debbie, Kimberly and I) went "yard saling" together.  I hadn't been to a real yard sale in years, but it was successful (and fun) enough to convince me that I need to go more often.  There's a lot to be said for the thrill of the (bargain) hunt!  

My biggest (both size- and price-wise) purchase that day was a little table for $5.  It looks like it was originally meant for a bedside table, but as we don't need any more of those, I'm planning to use it as an end table on my side of the couch.  (Yes, we each have our own side, where we sit 99.9% of the time.  Doesn't everyone?) While we have two perfectly good end tables already, the way the furniture is arranged (and the way it'll probably stay for some time), I don't have one on my side.  I've been using a folding tray, but this little table should be a strong improvement over that. 

Because the furniture in the main room is all dark-- either stained wood or painted black-- I thought the table, which is white, would look better with a coat of black paint.  Today I lightly sanded it, TSP'd it, then primed it. (The old finish was pretty slick in spots, so I thought I ought to do as much preparation as possible.) It felt a little silly putting white primer on an already white finish.  (Yes, yes.  I probably shouldn't use white primer under black paint, but it was what we had, and I'm sure it'll work just fine.  This thing was going to need at least two coats of black paint, anyway.)

So, we'll see how that goes.  I'd (kind of) forgotten how long it takes me to paint things-- or at least how long it feels.  I'm sure it'll be worth it in the end.  I did remember to take a couple of "before" photos, so I'll be able to have the fun of a big "before & after" reveal.  (Isn't it exciting?)

- - - - - -

I don't remember exactly when I last blogged about non-political, newsy things. . . It was after my parents settled on building the new house, wasn't it?  In any case, that house is a reality now-- is visible from where I sit (or would be if the curtains weren't currently drawn close)-- and is very nearly finished.  It's turned out to be one of those things that simultaneously feel as though they've taken a long time and no time at all.  (So many things feel that way!)

We'll soon have three new neighbors and two new neighbor dogs (not to mention a car or two).  I expect I'll see my parents and youngest sister more often once we're living a short walk from one another, and it should certainly be convenient for carpooling on some of our shopping trips and the like.  Also, there will probably almost always be someone nearby to help in a pinch (especially with my grandparents just another short walk away). 

. . . It just struck me that we'll be living two extremes, soon, with Donald's parents so very far away and mine almost next door.  People talk a lot these days about how small the world has gotten-- and it's true, in a way-- but it still feels plenty big when you have friends and family on another continent.  I wish it were easier (cheaper, safer, faster) for us all to pay casual visits. 

- - - - - -

Well, I consider the waters thoroughly well tested, now.  Pretty much exactly as I remembered it.  It's only a matter of taking the time to write every so often.  (Even if blogs are apparently no longer cool.  Where did everyone go, by the way?  Twitter and Facebook?  Both those places just feel insufficient, compared to blogging.  Oh well, things will always come and go, I guess.)

It's Time for More Analytics!

Yes, you may wish to skip this post.  It's mostly a long list of keywords.  A few of them are mildly amusing, but that's it. 

It's been about half a year since my last analytics post (which was in June).  I don't plan to go into quite as much detail as I've sometimes done in the past, but I did check the keyword traffic between then and now.  I like to keep lists like these because they help me remember some of the things I've written about here... and I just find it amusing to see what people are looking for when they happen upon this blog.

The four most common keyword combos to bring people here involve rag quilting and rat snake eggs.  (So not much has changed since last time.)

Number five on the list:  "crusti croc".  Twenty-eight visits!  And nine more for "crusti croc chips".  Hilarious.

More keywords from the list:

• "outdoor oddities"
• "nightmares more causes_risk_factors"  (& similar for finger numbness, itchy palms, numb fingers, numb hands, birthmarks, and narcolepsy)
• "do hippies wear makeup"
• more people wondering how to pronounce St. John Rivers (Yes, it's truly pronounced "Sin-jin".)
• "i hope to hearing from you" & "hope to hear from you"
• "kitten filterui:photo-graphics"  (Huh?)
• "santa cruz city council meeting transcript 'new west coast'" (I hope you enjoyed it. ;o))
• and related: "'i mean, the food is free, so we should just sell it'", "'and i really believe that it can be a california thing, that it can'", "'santa cruz' 'make the things'", "'the machine can make it for us' 'perfect pesticides'", etc., etc., etc.
• "whoppers duds" & "candy whoppers that are chewy" & "dud whoppers" 
• "how do whoppers occur - 'milk duds'"
• "what are some whoppers candy chewy"
  
• "chewy raspberry swedish candy" & "swedish raspberry candies"
  
• "being told you're awesome is a wonderful mood-lifter!"
• "'compassionate enough' doctor"
• "'delayed due to accommodating passengers'"
• "'eggs' 'mulch' 'photos'"
• "'i'd rather be quilting' license plate"
• "'so articulately'"
• "'vintage kitten'" & "cartoon kitten"
• "cartoon mere dada and dadi" (???)
  
• "words * describe cold weather"
• "50th wedding odds" (Kind of sad.  Must've been wondering what the odds are for a couple to make it to that anniversary...)
• "a recent poll that found record-low levels of public trust of the mainstream media"
• "aarp who is behind"
• "am i a hippie?" & "am I a hippy"
• "am i a waste"
• "articles that mention 'premo brand' sandwiches"
• "balloon hiding spots in island flyover"
  
• "buy snake eggs eggs" & "buy snake eggs online" & "how to buy snake eggs on internet"
  
• "can you unblurr something in an internet video that was purposely blurred"  (Um.  Creeeeepy...)
• Also: "how to unblur a purposely blurred picture"  (Why?)
  
• "crochet music"  (???) & "crochet music pattern"  (Oh, I think I get it now...)
• "crochet snake"
• "crunch sounds jaw"  (Ow.)
• "do snakes have lips"  (lol!)
• "do snakes like mulch" 
• "grey skin american eskimo dog"  (Sounds bad...)
• "hippie facial hair"
• "hope to hear from you, shorty."
• "glaskogen pronounced" & "husqvarna pronunciation"
  
• "i found mini eggs in my yardd what are they"
• about four more variations of "i hope to hear from you"
• "resume 'i hope to hear from you'"
  
• "i wish i could"
• "killing weeds with electricity"
• "little cocoons in my mulch" 
• "long hippie name for a woman"
• something vaguely creepy about "granny vids"...
• "lots of snake eggs in my yard"
• "norway village photos"
• "plot, character, setting, summary og mandino novel"
• "queasiness eased with pepto bismol"
•  "ridiculous lat names"
• "round cold cocoon found in mulch" (I don't think that's a cocoon...)
• "roundup herbicide in my eyes"  (Ouch!)
• more people looking for that particular type of hand lotion I mentioned by name...
• "skymall bug vacuum review"
• every possible search variation for snake eggs
• every possible search variation for rag quilting
• "sniblet"
• "sniblet artificial turf"
• "talkin bout your generation"
• "taste of autumn"
• "think i'm obnoxious get me out of here la da da da da da da da da ah ah ah"
• "trix pix" & "trixpix"
• "victorandcarrie"
• "vintage cute illustration" 
• "vintage odd photos collection"
• "vintage photos of adrigole road signs"  (awfully specific...)
• "vintage vacuum cleaner advertisements" 
  
• "wanted posters"
• "what are hop-and-go-fetch-its"
• "what do modern hippies wear" & "what do present day modern hippies wear?"  (LOL)
• "what to wear to a hippie party blog"
  
• "what looks like eggs in my mulch bed"  (Probably eggs. . .)
• "whats wrong with unbiased media"  (Nothing.)
• "when to plant owari satsuma trees in south alabama"  (Probably best to avoid summer, if possible.)
• "whopper snaps... sew on"
• So many, many people who also wonder why their hands get itchy after mowing the lawn...
• "why lawnmower hands itch"  (I didn't even know they had hands! ;o))
  
• "why doesn't anybody love me" x2  (Maybe someone does & you just don't know it...)
• "why i am a christian hippie"
• "wild man of chickasabogue" (What?? You're telling me there's a wild man out there?!  Thank goodness we didn't run into him... (g))

...The End

"Whatever you do, don't look down!"

I've switched over to Blogger's new editing whatever-you-call-it. . . (Interface?)  Anyway, everything looks different!  (Surprise, surprise.)  Most of the icons are different, and there's this handy-dandy "strikethrough" button so that now I no longer have to type in the html code.  This may might could possibly will definitely lead to overuse (as if I didn't already have my hands full with parentheses and dashes!).  I'm not sure whether or not I like this new system. . .  Guess I'll give it a few posts before reverting to the old one.

So, on to the real reason for this post. . .

It's a really important subject, of course.  Otherwise, I wouldn't even be writing about it, because I only ever write about big, important, deep subjects.  Like the weather, and puppy dog pictures, and-- oh, ok, it's just a puppy dog picture.  But it's not Trixie this time, so it's a palate-cleansing photo, for those of you who were getting a wee bit tired of Eskie photos.  (Seriously, though, if you don't like Eskie photos, you're not welcome here.  Go now, and never return.  We don't want your kind 'round these parts.)

Mainly I'm writing because I wanted something else at the top of my blog instead of that "Illegal Alien" costume.  So here it is-- something else!

It's a photo of a calendar we have in the kitchen.  The photo for October is this brown puppy sitting on a pile of (what appear to be) chocolate bars. 

I get the "joke"-- it's a "chocolate" (chocolate-colored... brown) cocker spaniel sitting on chocolate bars.  (I'll wait a moment while you finish laughing merrily at the cleverness of it all. ;o))  Maybe I'm just being difficult, but it seems like an odd set-up for a canine portrait, considering that chocolate is poisonous to dogs-- even potentially deadly.  It's kind of like if Anne Geddes were to pose an infant amidst an arrangement of bottles marked with skulls and crossbones-- or delicately nestled into a big ol' pile of cyanide pills.  (Kind of, but not quite.)  It's just weird.

. . .Well, that's it, I guess.

I thought about regaling you all with an amusing anecdote about how, as a child, I thought that little decorative pieces-- you know, ceramic figurines, trinket boxes and the like-- were called "white nots" (or maybe "white knots"-- I wasn't completely clear on the spelling).  Mom must've told me they were "what-nots", but I misunderstood. . .

Yeah, I thought about sharing that story, but then I realized that it wasn't actually a story, per se, and that bringing it up would be pointless (though only marginally less interesting than a photo of a puppy sitting on candy bars).  And that being the case, it's time to bring this entry to a close.  (g)

(Yes, I'm in that goofy mood again.  It comes, from time to time.)

Testing. . .

Hey there!
I'm just seeing how bigger pictures will look in this new, wider format. . .

Pointless Babble

Only three rounds of pointless babble this time.

- - - - - - -

1. Does Twitter have a monopoly on "pointless babble"? I think not.

I'm now following The Drudge Report on Twitter-- by far the most prolific entity on my list. One of their tweets the other day was a link to a story about how one study (with a sample of a measly 2,000 tweets, however) determined that 40 percent of tweets are "pointless babble". (Their example of "pointless babble" was something like "I'm eating a sandwich now", by the way.)

Measly sample size aside, I'd say the findings are accurate-- if anything, they may be a little low-- but remarkably unsurprising. Haven't people known all along that Twitter is designed for pointless babble? Or at least that's what I tell myself, since babbling is just about all I do on Twitter-- usually pointlessly.

After reading something like that-- and honestly, even before reading the article-- I think twice before tweeting. This may be difficult to believe, for those of you who either "follow" me on Twitter or read my tweets right here on this blog and see my snoozy observations on weather, how tired I am, or what Trixie happens to be doing at the moment, but I've actually been holding back my most boring tweets. I frequently stop myself in mid-tweet. "Nah. That's just too boring to bother people with" Or-- "I don't want it to sound like all I ever do is grumble, so... (backspace backspace backspace)"...

I wonder how many Twitter users feel this pressure to be interesting-- to stay upbeat (or cool and dark, depending on the personality)-- to censor themselves when they begin to feel that they've been doing too much babbling. (Note that I only insinuated that I feel the pressure to be interesting and upbeat-- not that I actually achieve a high level of interest and cheeriness. Just wanted to make sure that was clear. (g))

As someone who only tweets "on the side" and really prefers a blog for the long haul, my next thought naturally is of the blog. I may curb my tongue (fingers?) on Twitter, but my blog is at least 40% pointless babble, too. I'm going to try to forget I ever thought about that, though, and just keep on blogging away, one tedious entry at a time. The good thing about my blog is that there's no fluctuating "follower" count to avoid noticing every time I log on.

- - - - - - -

2. Trixie may not be destined for print, after all. (Oops.)

I may have spoken too soon about Trixie being in the I Has a Hotdog book. The last e-mail we got on the subject indicated that there's still some chance of the photo not making the cut. (Though they did sound encouraging.) I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

No, this doesn't really matter-- only I'll feel silly for having mentioned it at all, if it doesn't pan out. And it would be fun to see one of our dogs in a Real Book.

- - - - - - -

3. "Island Flyover" is fun.

My current favorite thing on the Wii is the Resort's "Island Flyover" game. It's not a very structured, competitive game, which is probably a big part of why I like it right now. Just between the two three however-many of us there are, I can sometimes be a little too competitive. (No comment necessary, Donald :oP) A non-competitive solo game is a nice break from losing to the meanie computer for the nth time in a row at ping pong table tennis.

For those who don't know, in this game you fly a little plane around the island resort looking for (marked) points of interest and/or popping balloons by shooting them or flying into them. I like games with a little of a treasure hunt in them, and this one is also something where you can just sit back and enjoy the view, too-- particularly once you unlock the sunset and night-time options.

- - - - - - -

The End.

Analytics

I figure it's been long enough since the last Google Analytics post to justify a new one. The last "Analytics" post was in September; I'll only be counting keyword searches since then.

Since, September 24th of last year, search engines have generated 1,060 visits to this blog, via 724 keywords (or keyword combinations).

As usual, the runaway leader of search engine hits is a hefty conglomeration of keywords from people looking for information about rag quilting. (If you're here for that very reason, allow me to direct you to Sew I See, my sewing/related subject blog, where I've consolidated the rag quilting posts from this blog, in addition to more recent sewing-themed entries.)

However, though far behind rag quilting, there was a new contender for top honors-- "snake eggs", "black rat snake eggs", "eggs in mulch", and variations on that theme. It seems that there are quite a few people out there finding snake eggs in their mulch, including one who evidently found twenty eggs in his/her mulch! (Here's the relevant entry.)

Here are some (ok, lots) of the other keywords:

• "swedish candy" --Wonder what kind, specifically...
  
• "cockapekapoo"/"cock-a-pek-a-poo"
• "does anyone breed cockapekapoo puppies" --I imagine so, but maybe not very many breeders.
  
• "moonbeamers cartoon" & related
  
• "narcolepsy more causes_risk_factors"
• "somali pirate situation"
• "doggonevideo"
• "husqvarna pronunciation"
• "tilt shift video how to"
• "itchy palms more causes_risk_factors"
• "numb fingers more causes_risk_factors"
• "sarah michaels milk & honey" --Several people came here again during this period, looking for that line of products-- and it's been how long since they stopped making it? Wonder how much I'd get for my partly used-up container, on eBay. ;o)
• "why was sarah michaels discontinued" --I don't know. Life is hard, sometimes. (g)
  
• "'st. john rivers' pronunciation"/"how do you pronounce st john rivers" --It's pronounced "sin-gin". Weird, huh?
• "why is st john pronounced as sin jin" (at least three variations on this one) --It's a cruel joke the Brits like to play on unsuspecting foreigners. (g) Seriously, my guess is that it came about because it is easier/faster to say than "Saint John". If you try to say "Saint John" quickly, "SinJin" isn't such a stretch. Eventually, everyone just pronounced it that way all the time. (But this is only a theory.)
  
• "blogspot he is nearsighted and needs glasses" --Huh?
  
• "blue-gray skin" --Ah, yes, the blue-skinned man...
• "gender guesser" --I'd forgotten about that.
• "glaskogens"/"glaskogens naturreservat"/"glaskogens nature"
  
• "odds and ends abbreviation"
• "odds of random things"
• "wild wet t" -- Don't think I want to know what that means...
• "voortman almond krunch" --Stop it! I'm already hungry for cookies!
• "'animated wendy' nasty wendy's"
• "'car tags' slang" --No earthly idea.
• "concerto for harpischord, strings & continuo no. 5 in f minor" --Very specific!
• "'gentler' in a sentence"/"a sentence for gentler"
• "glammas and granddudes"/"names the grampster"
  
• "i fear for the future" --Yeah, me too, which is probably how you got here, huh?
• "'john locke' 'tree topper'" --Is there really such a thing?
  
• "'lumis' 'peanut butter'"
• "'malted milk balls' vacuum" --Oh great. Now I want some Whoppers, too... And I have the strangest urge to clean the rugs... ;o)
• "'meatballs - the movie'" --Never even seen it, as far as I can recall.
  
• "'national turn off the tv day'"
• "'oklahoma' and 'unexplained rumbling'" --You get that in OK, too?
  
• "'people on welfare shouldn't be allowed to vote'" --Well, I do think there's an argument to be made for some voting regulation-- at least in cases of those who are persistently on welfare with no legitimate reason.
  
• Various search terms with polymer clay in mind
• "'sleeping with * arms over * head"
• "'squirreler' dictionary" --LOL!! Donald! You're not the only one!!
• "'talkin' bout your generation" --And neither am I. (g)
• "'tilt and pour' 'milk carton'" --Oh, yeah. They've actually disappeared, at least in this area. The stores only carry the regular milk jugs, now.
  
• "'what's my family motto?'" --Depends on your family name. If all else fails, you could always make one up! ;o)
  
• "acm wallet overnight" --No idea what that means.
• "american eskimo the proposal movie" --Yes, it was an Eskie! (Or so I've read.)
• "amigo crisp corn sweden" --Those are so good!! I wish I had one now...
• "battery operated plastic doghouse bank that picks up a coin" --Okaaay...
• something about vacuum cleaner reviews...
• several about the Black Caucus visiting Cuba
• "black looking eggs in mulch" --Ew. I'd leave 'em alone, if I were you. Handle with extreme care and caution. (g)
• "candy vacuum" --Wha...?
  
• "book 'molly no doubt'"
• "cause for fingers and palm of hands to turn grey to blue" --That sounds serious!
• "changed the vacuum belt but there is still a smell coming from the vacuum"
• "chewy whopper candy"/"whopers candy chewy in the middle"/"whopper duds"/"whoppers malted soft dud"/"whoppers vacuum" --SO glad to see I wasn't the only one curious about those duds!
  
• "cocoon found in mulch" --Are you sure it's a cocoon? See link to snake egg entry, above. (g)
  
• "cola bottle singing rick astley"
• "da da da di da da di da da da da opera" --No, seriously.
• "december 2007 sam's club trampoline" --Ah, yes. The December 2007 Trampoline. A very good vintage.
  
• "describing age ten with pictures and no words" --Seems kind of tricky.
• "draft stopper, dog-shaped" --Ooh, that sounds cute! Maybe I should make one, if I can find a pattern (or make my own)...
• "earphone spree"
  
• "eastern kingsnake" --Look here, if you're here for that, too.
  
• "emily of new moon coloring book" --I don't know if it exists.
  
• "empathy doll britt-marie"
• "ends of nostalgia"
• "far off target"/"not far from target"
  
• "fingers go numb and hurt while tunisian crocheting" (and regular crochet, too)
• "firefighter michael johansson"/"michael johansson firefighter" --No, not quite.
  
• "flickr kite surfing accident"
• "fluffy icing"/"light and fluffy icing"
  
• "footed pajamas tar"
• "google earth how to 'unblur'"
• "grey skin color seizure"/"grey skin hands symptom" --Please see a doctor.
  
• "guess store tacky"
• "hands itch after shoveling"
• "homeland security alert right wing"
• "hometown photos"
• "horse chestnut make soap"
• "housewives list of odds and ends around the house"
• "how do I unlock me hyundai elantra without setting of the alarm?"
  
• "how do snake eggs feel like" --A little leathery, I think. But not very firm-- "softer" than a chicken's egg.
  
• "how does crocheting affect fingers"/"how to croucheing"
• "how to make sweden candy" --Wish I knew...
• "how to make the potluck not tacky" --Since when is potluck tacky? HMM?
  
• "how to pronounce chickasabogue" --My best guess: chick-uh-suh-BOWG. (Long "O" on that last syllable, to rhyme with the first syllable of "hoagie".)
  
• "how to pronounce the floor at the end s" --I'm clueless here. Anyone?
• "hypnotized dog on tv with cupcakes"
• "i want to add more squares to my rag quilt" --Well, go ahead and do it. ;o)
• "i'd rather be quilting license plate"
• "index of /oddsandends"
• "jared schutz polis i loved you from the moment you first touched me and i want, and i need you back in my life" --Wow. That's a long one...
• "julmust"/"lucia kattar"
  
• "killing weeds with electricity"
• "la di da daa techno"
• "la la da da da da di di da da da"
• "license plate trivia web address"/"license plates alabama trivia"
• "list of words to describe the cold weather" --Frigid. Frosty. Freezing. Icy. Chilly. Arctic. There, that's a start.
• "lmm's oyster" --What in the. . .?
• "looking for like artificial turf for pet to wee wee on inside of home" --I think you'll like find what you're looking for in this entry.
• "mandy donald"
• "mean bee" --Oh, are you tormented by one of those, too?
• "meaning 'i'm feeling up'" --Scared to ask...
• several about moccasin eggs --I don't think they exist. (They do that thing where the females carry the eggs around inside them until they hatch.)
  
• "nightmarish dreams" --A.K.A. "nightmares"? ;o)
  
• "nightnoise at the end of the evening blogspot"
  
• "nothing much im afraid"
• "numb fingers after hitting" --Here's a thought: stop hitting.
  
• "odd lawn mowers"
• "odd license plates"
• "odd state trivia"
• "odds and ends books that stone toilet cleaner"
• "odds and ends current events"
• "odds and ends fashion"
• "odds and ends form various sources : it took a laundry to clean the area"
• "odds of getting bit by a black rat snake"
• "odds on 50th wedding anniversary"
• "odds that first and last initial are the same"
• "odds the other dog is also male puzzle"
• "one flappy sore inside mouth" --Ick. Just wait and it'll probably go away.
• "patio photography"
• "pics of dogs fluffing from snake bites" --?
• "pictures sweden candy"
• "pirates online of photo odds and ends"
• "polymer clay nativity"
• "psychotic moments"
• "quilting +laptop"
• "rap babies saffle" --I have no idea what that's all about.
• "reward posters"
• "ridge vent hurricane leak"
• "sentence kinder +"/"sentence with kinder"
• "sewing + sweden"
• "sideboard, säffle"
• "skymall favorite dog-off"
• "snakes are living in my mulch" --Yeah, they'll do that.
• "someone has printed my name"
• "something light can't get through"
• "song, 'some little bug is going to get you someday'"
• "sweden candy bars with bugles" --Those are called Marabou Amigo bars. Yummy!
• "sweden in 1890" --Sorry, I wasn't there at the time. ;o)
• "swedish belts"
• "swedish candy how many dollar" --Depends on how much you buy, and whether or not you happen to be in Sweden.
  
• "swedish candy shops"/"swedish cherries candy"/"swedish raspberries candy"/ etc.
• "they have ice cream in cuba black caucus" --Yes, I know. Amazing news, wasn't it?
  
• "toby sue g's odds and ends"
• "tomgallon house"
• "too far off" --Better not go, then.
• "translate sonodora" --No! Not until you ask nicely! (Ok, I don't know the translation.)
  
• "trixie i odds" --Please don't. She's odd enough as it is.
  
• "trixie videos"/"trixie vids" --I got yer Trixie vids right here.
• "ultrasonic dog bark"
• "vibrations from lawn mower makes me hungry" --LOL!
• "victorandcarrie flickr"
• "vintage children's book little lost puppy" --Oh, that sounds sad.
• Many more about vintage children's books...
• "vintage vacuum cleaner advertisements"
• "voortman cookie shirts"/"voortman cookies 2008 recap"
• "what gross ingredient is in malted milk balls" --The ingredient you're detecting is most likely malt (thus the name, "malted milk balls"), and it's not gross. It's very, very tasty. *smacking lips* ;o)
• "what if my odds say negative about me"
• "what is the puppy smell" --If you mean "puppy breath", I've read that it's a symptom of... brace yourself... intestinal worms. Don't know if it's true, but our puppy lost her puppy breath after we de-wormed her. No matter where it comes from, it is an adorable smell.
  
• "what recent news soty amused you most"
• "what was that song in the 90s that started with 'la di da da da'" --"Around the World" by ATC, I think...
• "why do i always feel like i'm forgetting something" --If you figure it out, please pass it on.
  
• "wkrg.com moonpie" --"Throw me somethin', mister!" That's what they say you should shout at Mardi Gras parades. (shrug)
  
• "words that describe candy" --Sweet, tangy, sour, yummy, delicious, gooey, sticky, crunchy, chocolatey. Take your pick.
  
• "words to describe weather" (two variations)--Now, that's just too broad a subject. You're on your own! ;o)
• "words that discribe how snow feels" --Cold and wet. Next!
• "words to describe a storm"
  
• "words to describe yarn"
• "world market genuine swedish gingersnaps" --Those are good, aren't they?!

And there you have it-- my seemingly never-ending list of search engine keywords! Aren't you glad you read all the way through to the end? Wasn't it really worth that investment of your time and energy? . . . Hello? . . .Hello-ooo?

Hm. Oh well. I had fun. (g)

"There's nothin' but videos here anymore!"

Yeah, sorry about that. One of these days, I'll probably write something more than video intros and outraged political snippets. Most likely. ;o)

In the meantime. . . Did you notice that I made some more videos? (g) Thumbnails for the three more recent are over there on the right-hand side of the screen (under "Most Recent Videos @ Vimeo").

I finally managed to render a second video of storm damage (from that particularly vicious storm we had in late March), and there are now three videos of Trixie playing with soap bubbles. Oh, and there's also one (still in queue, waiting to be "converted") where I strung together little bits we videoed* the last time we were in Fairhope (April 15th). So, that should keep you busy for a few minutes. ;o)

*"Videoed" looks distinctly wrong. What's a better alternative, though? "Video'd"? No... "Videoed" it is, then. Though, looking at the definition of "video", it seems that-- technically-- it might be the wrong verb to use, anyway. I guess I could write that I'm "recording" something. That's fine, but after a while, you begin to wish you had another word to spice things up a little. "Filming" would work, too, except that I'm not using film. It's digital. "I created a digital record of the moving image of Trixie popping bubbles." . . .Sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone and just write "videoed".

Videos, Music, Sports, & Saplings

Do not adjust your monitors. ;o) Or in other words, yes, I changed the background color. I was getting tired of acid green. Time for a soothing pale blue! I've also adjusted a few other little things in the setup of this blog. For instance, there's now a Vimeo widget in the sidebar, so that you can see at a glance if I've put up any new videos (on Vimeo, at least).

And as a matter of fact. . .

- - - - - - -

I've put a few more new videos on Vimeo. (g)

One is a short clip Donald filmed at the frozen lake at Glaskogen (Sweden). I realized I hadn't included any close-ups of how that ice looked, and I thought it was pretty enough that it required sharing.

One is just a (probably boring) experiment with saturation-- nothing but pine trees and a sky full of windy clouds.

Then there's another quick one of Trixie. (Yes, I know. I'm now undeniably one of those people who inflict upon others their endless videos of vacations and pets. It can't be helped. At least you don't have to watch them, since I'll never know if you did or not. (g))

This is an older piece of film-- before Donald's trip, I think, and definitely before the rubber chicken toy lost its head:


Slo-Mo Trixie from Michael Johansson on Vimeo.

- - - - - - -

I mentioned, an entry or two ago, being disappointed by the unavailability of certain soundtracks. Well, this isn't quite as good as a soundtrack on CD (mainly because the conversations and sound effects are still present and can be distracting), but if you're desperate to have the music from North & South to listen to, try this site. A word of warning to those who haven't seen the program (or read the book)-- listening to these tracks (or, indeed, even reading their titles) might give away some of the storyline. (I used tiny, dialogue-free snippets from the soundtrack in the two non-Trixie videos I linked to above.)

- - - - - - -

An entry on a blog I read linked back to some previous blog entries and a number of heated comments-- all related to the fact that a Swedish wrestler threw down his bronze medal during an Olympic award ceremony. (Actually, from what I recall, he went and set it down rather carefully on the floor. I don't remember any violent hurling. (g)) Some people feel it was a display of righteous indignation after an obviously unfair call by a corrupt system of judging. Others think that he should have respected the dignity of the occasion and saved his protests for later. Then there are those, like myself, who are amazed that enough people care about wrestling for there to be a corrupt system of judges. (Admittedly, I'm not a particularly sporty gal-- Don't fall out of your seat in shock, now! ;o)-- but of all sports, wrestling seems just about the least appealing to watch or participate in. Yuck.) More proof that no matter what hobby or interest you take up, if you're there long enough-- if you look deeply enough-- you'll find people who take things way too far. Passion, you say? Passion schmassion! In all things, moderation! ;o)

- - - - - - -

This morning, Mom and I went to a local Arbor Day event and picked up a variety of free saplings. Now to decide where ours should go. . .

Keywords

It's been a few months since my last Google Analytics post, so I thought another one was due. It got a little long, so you may not want to read the whole thing. If you want to see just my favorites, skip down to the bottom. :o)

Here's what people were searching for when they happened upon this blog (since the last Analytics entry):

• Once again, most of them involve rag quilting, with 44 hits from "denim rag quilt(s)" along-- not even touching on all the (many, many) variations on that theme: "rag quilt bag" (9), "rag quilt video" (8), "flannel rag quilts" (5), and so on. (Maybe it's time for me to start actually working on that quilt again. ;o)) To avoid boring you completely to tears, I'll skip the rest of the quilt-related searches, unless something particularly interesting pops up.
  
• "borderline narcolepsy"/"borderline narcoleptic"-- 5 hits
  
• "trollstigen weather"-- 3 hits (Ah, Norway. . . I don't miss the crazy roads, but the views!)
  
• "racing down trollstigen"-- 1 hit
• "trollstigen road raised"-- 1 hit (What does that even mean?)
• "trollstigen youtube"-- 1 hit
  
• "birds attacking cats"-- 2 hits (Poor Skipper. I think I mentioned this after seeing a bird dive-bomb him. . .)
  
• "cockapekapoo"-- 2 hits
  
• "itchy hands after mowing"/"hands itch after digging in the yard"/"hands itch after mowing the lawn"/"mowing itchy"/"my hand vibrate after mowing"/"my palms itch after mowing the lawn"/"numb fingertips after mowing lawn"/"vibrations from lawn mower hands to itch"/"why do i get itchy hands after mowing the lawn"/"why do my palms itch after mowing"-- 11 hits (Obviously it's a common occurrence!)
  
• "after crocheting finger numb"/"crochet numb finger"/"crocheting numb fingers"/"numb finger crochet"-- 4 hits (Again, clearly I'm not the only one. Not that I thought I was. . .)
  
• "numb fingers more:causes risk factors"-- 1 hit
• "numb finger after striking"-- 1 hit (. . .After striking what, exactly. . .?)
  
• "jared polis"-- 2 hits (This is from a question in a meme.)
  
• "odds and ends abbreviation"-- 2 hits (Is there such a thing?)
  
• "sarah michaels extra thick body cream"/"sarah michaels milk and honey"-- 4 hits, total
• "curly sue soundtrack"-- 1 hit for this and all that follow, unless otherwise noted
  
• "emily of new moon: dean priest"
• "grey skin"/"blue gray skin color"/"gray skin"/"grey skin from well water"/"grey skin man"/"grey skin pictures"/"guy with grey skin"/"man with gray skin"/"man with grey skin"/"skin turned a permanent shade of blue-gray after consumption of nutritional supplements"/"the man with the gray skin"-- 11 hits (I guess people are still interested in this story. . .)
  
• "polymer clay + jewelry"
• "sziklai pair"/"adrigole"/"anoglypta" (This is what happens when you do that silly, random Wikipedia meme. . .)
  
• "yellow-bellied water snake split"
• "cassandra wilson - lovely"
• "7 inch granny square"
• "another name/ word for all knowing"-- 2 hits
• "b&w techniques"
• "baldwinreport"
• "canon xsi"
• "coastal fabric designs"
• "clouds moonlight flickr"
• "decorated cake ballerina"/"plastic ballerinas"-- 2 hits
  
• "dicey name pronounce" (I know the book they're thinking of, but I haven't read it-- yet-- myself, and I don't remember mentioning it or this character in my blog. . .)
  
• "eilert pilarm swedish elvis" (Donald was just talking about this again the other day. I'd forgotten about it.)
  
• "felt cake slice pattern" (Again. And I've never even posted one, as far as I can recall. . .)
  
• "flickr children's vintage fashion" (& related queries)-- 5 hits
• "vintage retro scans"
  
• "hejsan pronounced" ("Hay-sawn"-- or something like.)
  
• "how to make a bag out of a button up shirt" (I'm not sure, but it shouldn't be too hard to do.)
  
• "how to use variegated ombre yarn"
  
• "husqvarna correct pronunciation" (Hm. . . As far as I know, it's "HOOSK-varna", but I'm no expert. . . (shrug))
  
• "ike is gonna strike"/"wheres ike"/"wheres ike gonna go"/"wheres ike now"-- 4 hits
  
• "ipod wailin jennys"/"wailin jennys song meanings"-- 4 hits
  
• "it is beautiful the world we live in"/"its a beautiful world we live in"-- 4 hits (Agreed.)
• "lawn mowing gloves" (Again, is there really such a thing as gloves made just for lawn mowing?)
  
• "woolfardisworthy" (At first, I was all "Wha. . .?" And then I remembered this entry.)
  
• "leveson loosen" (See above.)
  
• "pronunciations odd spellings fanshawe" (Yep, one more for that entry.)
  
• "michael strang mowing" (No idea how this one got here. . .)
• "mike oddsandends"
• "moonbeamers cartoon"/"the moonbeamers cartoon"-- 2 hits (I remember it, vaguely. I more remember that my sister and I each had a Moonbeamers "action figure"/doll, and their hair glowed in the dark. I think one of us had a Moonbeamers lunch box, too, one year.)
  
• "trixie-o designs"
  
• "muskmare" ((shudder) Nasty things!)
• "ombre pattern cloth in photoshop" (I'm not sure what they meant by that. . .)
  
• "open slatted patio cover photo" (You're joking, right? Our patio doesn't even have it's "floor" in place, yet. Need to work on that. . .)
  
• "paw print rag quilt bag" (Hey, that's a neat idea!)
• "personality trait of l.m.montgomery" (I could name a few, but you're probably better off looking elsewhere.)
  
• "photo crochet"
• "pin cushion"/"pin cushions with mason jar lids"-- 2 hits
• "peewauket" (Another reference to that book I haven't even read. I can't figure out where I mentioned these things. . .)
  
• "scan cyoa books"
  
• "seizures/weather conditions" (I guess they might be linked, somehow?)
  
• "sewing"
• "sewing kit in a jar"
• "sharpshooter shovel"/"shovel handle refitting"-- 2 hits
• "spelling widget for computer" (Why would you need one? Seems like most programs have one already built in. . .)
• "sweded movies wikipedia"
• "youtube gameron guiron" (Oh, how I hate that movie.)
  

I saved my favorites for last. They're a little more interesting-- and/or amusing-- than the ones listed above.

• "children's book on dog fashion" (Intriguing. . .)
  
• "how do I pronounce st john rivers"/"st john pronounced sinjin" (Yes, it truly is pronounced "sinjin". Weird, huh? But admittedly, it's much easier to say than "saint john".)
  
• "how to crouche granny squares" (Yeah, it's just a spelling error, but it looks funny.)
  
• "how to prevent finches from defecating in birdhouse" (Is that even possible? I think you just have to clean out the house, at the end of the nesting season. That, or let the next bird who comes along take care of it. (g))
  
• "mood killers" (LOL! I wonder if they were looking for a definitive list. And why? Seeking inspiration?)
• "shoe mcan logo resemblance with allah in bangladesh" (I can't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole thing.)
  
• "mom, i'm nearsighted, and need glasses" (This one actually strikes me as kind of sad. Was this person worrying about how to tell "mom" that s/he needs glasses. . .?)
• "mother hubbard etsy golden" (Added to this list because of the sheer weirdness of this seemingly unrelated string of words.)
• "odd style fashion for kids" (Kids, prepare for some good old-fashioned school-yard teasing. . .)
• "rag quilt clog washer" (Uh oh. ;o) Yeah, they say that can happen. Best to take precautions. If possible, wash it the first time or two at the laundromat, and maybe wash it inside a bag, to catch the fluff.)
• "two striped walking stick sprayed in mouth" (Oh, you poor, poor person! Don't worry, though. It shouldn't cause any long-term damage.)
• "unblur a purposely blurred photo" (And just why do you need to do that?)
• "voortman cookies coloring book" (So, is it a coloring book full of drawings of cookies?)
• "i look through the camera viewfinder with my left eye. is this incorrect?" (Dude, relax. Just do whatever feels right. I promise, no-one's gonna call the camera police on you for putting your left eye to the viewfinder. I do it all the time.)
• "koink oil" (What is koink oil?)
• "lawn mowing vocabulary" (There will be a quiz tomorrow, so you'd best study.) ;o)

Well, that concludes this quarter's episode of "Giggle Goofily at That Keyword". ;o) Better go see about doing something slightly more useful. . .

Welcome to the new spot!

It's my inaugural post at the new blog! How exciting! ;o) Well, mildly interesting, at least.

I've switched the site of my on-line journal a few times, now, but this is the first time I've used a web-based system for my personal journal (though I've had a polymer clay blog for several months). I hope this will mean I'll post more often, because it is so easy to post here at Blogger. Don't be surprised, though, if my posts are also shorter than my old journal entries used to be. (Probably, that's a good thing. . .)

I think that (according to The Powers That Be) blogs are "supposed" to contain short entries (with lots of emphasis on links), while journals have longer entries and are more like traditional, paper journals in that they are text-centric. Or something like that. But I think it's silly to get too worked up over that sort of thing, so I'll just post what I feel like. If there's a long, wordy story to tell, I'll tell it in a very wordy fashion. If I have nothing but a link to share, I'll be brief.

Based on my experiences with the clay blog, I do think I blog differently than I journal. (Sorry to all of you-- any of you?-- whose linguistic sensibilities are offended by the haphazard morphing of nouns into verbs. I've long since given way, myself.) But for the few of you actually reading this, I don't think the difference will be shocking. If it is, feel free to tell me so. ;o)